I hesitated for a moment to put up a brownie recipe because I try to focus on dishes that are healthy for kids, but I’m also all about moderation in eating and not depriving kids of sweets if they are made as healthfully as possible. Plus, these brownies are so delicious, I just couldn’t help myself.

In my opinion, getting your kids cooking and having them associate the kitchen with fun is important in inspiring them to eat well, and if there’s one thing Kenya and I had making these brown-wees together, it’s fun. Besides trying to keep him from dipping his finger in the batter for “just one taste” several times, Kenya loved helping me out with almost every step of the process. But he loved eating them even more!

Brown-wees (Makes 15 Brownie squares)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Egg, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Vegetable oil
Optional: Chopped Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. Combine all wet ingredients (agave, egg, vanilla and vegetable oil) in a separate bowl.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine (if you are adding walnuts, incorporate them here as well).
5. Spread the batter into a buttered or greased 8 x 8 inch pan.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Cool, cut into squares and serve.

When I think about Easter, I think about bunny rabbits. And when I think about bunny rabbits, I think about carrots! So in honor of this holiday we’re going to have some fun and make carrot pancakes for Easter brunch. We did a test run for this recipe 2 weeks ago and I couldn’t believe how yummy it turned out. Pancakes are certainly delicious on their own, but when you add finely shredded carrots, walnuts and a touch of cinnamon to the mix, it gives them a wonderful added texture and flavor. And as good as these pancakes are dipped in a bit of maple syrup or honey, they’re just as delicious on their own.

Whether you’re making brunch this Easter for a big group or just staying home with your family, these carrot pancakes are a healthy spring treat that your little bunnies are sure to love.

Carrot Pancakes (Makes 20-25 Pancakes)

1 1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Walnuts, chopped
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1 1/2 Cups Carrots, shredded fine (about 3 small carrots)
Butter or Oil for cooking

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. In another bowl, place sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, carrot and eggs and mix.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter or oil.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
6. Serve with honey or maple syrup.

*Allow to cool, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, place in toaster oven or oven at 300 and heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.

People ask me all the time what foods we keep in our house on a regular basis. I always list oatmeal, rice, quinoa, chicken and a few other basics, but for some reason I frequently forget to mention sweet potatoes, which are hands down one of our favorites. Packed with vitamins A and C, beta carotene, iron and calcium, they are literally one of the single most nutritious vegetables you can eat.

My husband and I usually eat them for dinner several nights a week and I also make sweet potato puree for Chloe with bit of coconut milk and/or cinnamon. But one of the most fun ways to enjoy sweet potatoes is to bake them, slice them in half and then stuff ‘em however you like. Kenya loves designing his own stuffed potato, which takes what could be a boring side dish and allows him to be the chef of his own meal. And it’s easy to do: just pick a bunch of toppings, arrange them on a plate or in little bowls, and let your little one create a sweet masterpiece. I usually offer Kenya a pat of butter, some chopped nuts, maple syrup, raisins….even a bit of orange zest to add some fun flavor.

But the thing I find that kids like best about sweet potatoes is that they’re sweet. It’s like letting them have the healthiest dessert in the world for dinner! Don’t take my word for it, go stuff it!

Baked Sweet Potato (Serves 4)

4 Sweet Potatoes
Suggested Accompaniments: Butter, Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Agave, Honey, Chopped Walnuts, Orange Zest, Diced Pineapple, Raisins, Milk, Coconut Milk, Marshmallows (so not weelicious of me, but in moderation….)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke several holes in the sides of the potatoes, place on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 1 hour.
3. Serve.

When I was a kid, I loved eating “ants on a log”. For those of you (like my husband) who have never heard of this most delicious of snacks, traditional ants on a log is simply a piece of celery (the log) with a dollop of peanut butter and a few raisins (the ants) sprinkled on top. I used to love coming home from school and munching away on these uber yummy creations. The crunch of the celery and the creaminess of the peanut butter compliment each other beautifully.

Always on the search for ways to make food more fun for kids, I decided to switch it up a bit and make ants on a log for Kenya substituting almond butter for peanut butter (you could also use sunflower butter for kids with nut allergies or cashew butter if you prefer). Then, I got even more creative by topping them with all different kinds of delicious toppings such as raisins, dried cranberries (“ladybugs”), walnuts (“frogs”) and more. You can have a blast making them with your kids, letting them come up with their own names for whatever you choose to sprinkle on top. There’s no end to the fun you can have no matter what your “bugs” of choice are!

Celery Logs (Makes 12 Logs)

1/4 Cup Almond Butter (you could also use peanut, sunflower or cashew butter)
4 Celery Stalks

Desired Toppings:
Raisins
Craisins
Dried Cherries
Dried Blueberries
Dried Cranberries
Walnuts
Sunflower Seeds

1. Cut celery into 3-inch logs.
2. Spread 1 teaspoon of almond butter into the logs until it is evenly distributed.
3. Top with desired toppings.
4. Serve.

I’m reading more and more lately about the importance of a vegetarian diet for our bodies and the planet. I know that the healthier we eat the better our bodies run, which is especially true when it comes to children. I get a lot of emails from people with misconceptions about vegetarian diets. Chief among them are concerns about vegetarians not getting enough protein. To the contrary, by incorporating legumes (e.g. beans, lentils, peas, soy, and peanuts) into their diets and combining them with grains, vegetarians get all the protein they need.

We’ve been trying to eat a lot more legumes in our house lately and lentils are at the top of the list. Not only are they inexpensive and fast to prepare, they’re an incredible source of protein, dietary fiber and amino acids. They’re also inexpensive, which is a bonus when you’re trying to stretch your food budget.

The combination of the sweet of the fruit and the crunch of the nuts with the soft texture of the lentils makes a nutritious dish that my family flipped for — and no one asked where the meat was!

Cranberry Lentil Salad (Makes 6 Servings)

1 Cup Lentils
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1/4 Cup Parsley, chopped
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped
Juice of 1 Small Lemon
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. In a saucepan bring 4 cups of water and lentils to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
3. Pour lentils into a strainer and rinse with cold water.
4. Fold all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
5. Serve.

There has only been one other recipe that I’ve tested for weelicious — the Dark Chocolate Cupcake — that took as many tries to perfect as this recipe. It required 9 tries to make the perfect pineapple carrot muffin WITHOUT using refined sugar and here it is! I’m really excited about how they came out because not only did Kenya love them, but the final batch was gorgeous, super easy to prepare (once I got the flavor right!) and made the perfect amount of muffins for a few days worth of meals and snacks for our family. The best part, though, is that they freeze extremely well too. You can toss a bunch in a zipper bag and into the freezer and whenever you need one, just put it in your little one’s school lunchbox and it will be defrosted and ready to eat by lunchtime. Isn’t it great when a recipe actually makes life easier?!

Pineapple Carrot Muffins (Makes 14 Muffins)

1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Pineapple, chopped fine and drained well OR 1 8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple, drained well
1 Cup Shredded Carrot (about 2 Large Carrot)
1/2 Cup Walnuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2. In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine the butter and agave using a whisk or an electric beater to combine.
4. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
5. Add the vanilla, pineapple, carrots and walnuts (if using) to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the dry ingredients, making sure not to over mix.
7. Pour the batter into regular size, paper lined muffin cups.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

KitchenAid Precision 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

We’re big fans of dates in our house. When we go to the Farmer’s Market every week, we always get a bag of them. They’re Kenya’s version of “candy”. Sweet, chewy and rich, if you put them in a wrapper, I’m sure most kids would think they really are candy.

Although the dates we get are perfect just on their own, I decided to take them a step further, and try to make healthy candy bites out of them. The recipe only takes minutes to whip up and the bites freeze beautifully, too. Well, unless you’re making them for Kenya, of course. Then they don’t have enough time to make it to the freezer. Kenya figured out where I had put my freshly-made batch, carried his little chair to the counter, opened the tin and ate a dozen of these bites within minutes. Thank goodness they’re made with nature’s sugar!

Date Nut Bites

1 Lb. Dates (I used 21 Medjool dates), pitted
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1 Cup Coconut, preferably unsweetened

1. Place pitted dates and walnuts in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Place the coconut on a plate.
3. Take 1 tsp of the date/walnut mixture and roll into balls.
4. Roll the balls in the coconut to cover the entire outside of the balls.
5. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

We REALLY love muffins in our house. Not only do we eat them for breakfast, a snack or even dessert; also, they travel well AND you can freeze them to have any time you’re in the mood for a treat. These orange date muffins only take minutes to whip up, and they are really healthy. The flavors are so rich, but none of it comes from sugar, and they’re naturally sweet.

This is the perfect muffin to make at this time of year since dates and oranges are both in season. I even bought the walnuts for this recipe at the farmer’s market; they were so fresh, add a nice crunch and dash of protein to the muffins making them the perfect snack.

Orange Date Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Dates, chopped
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with the dates and walnuts.
5. Divide the batter between 12 greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

KitchenAid Precision 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

At this time of year — from Thanksgiving through Christmas — I just can’t get enough of tangy cranberries and sweet oranges. The combination of these fruits is so traditionally festive to me and since I’ve watched Kenya down an entire cup of cranberry sauce in one sitting on more then one occasion, I knew he would love this bread. The other thing I love about this cranberry orange nut bread is that it is full of fruit and protein and has NO refined sugar, so you won’t feel guilty letting the little ones dig in as much as they like. I decided to make mini loaves so I could give them to friends as holiday gifts, but you could just as easily cook it in a single 9 x 5 inch pan and enjoy the entire loaf at home with your family!

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread (1 9×5 inch loaf or 6 mini loaves)

2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Agave
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Grated Orange zest
1 Cup Fresh Cranberries, chopped
3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Cream the butter and agave and then add the orange juice, egg, vanilla and orange zest.
4. Pour the flour into the butter mixture to combine. Add the cranberries and walnut. Do not over mix.
5. Pour mixture into a 9×5 inch greased loaf pan or 6 greased individual mini loaves.
6. Bake 55-60 minutes for the 9×5 inch pan or 35 minutes for the smaller loaves.
7. Let rest for 5 minutes in the pan, remove and cool or a wire rack.
8. Serve.

Oh. My. Lusciousness! I just tasted my first batch of homemade almond milk minutes ago and it is so delicious I ran to the computer, bumped today’s planned “recipe of the day”, and started writing this. This almond milk is so creamy, frothy and easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to buy it in the store. Not only is the milk itself incredible and perfect to add to your own cereal or coffee, but my best little taster just made a case for drinking it all on its own! You should have seen Kenya chowing down on the ground almonds and milky solids which are strained out of the finished milk. He totally made a meal out of it (as did I, stealing bite after bite).
Almonds are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, which boosts your little one’s immune system. They’re also a good source of calcium which plays a part in healthy bones, teeth and immune function. Don’t feel limited to only almonds, though. You could make this exact recipe with cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts and more. Just pour a touch of this over fresh berries and it’s as good as the taste of fresh cream. Obviously, if your little one has a nut allergy, this recipe isn’t for them.
Again, I do realize that you can buy a box of almond milk at the store to keep handy, but one taste of this recipe and you will understand why it’s worth the MINUTES it takes to make your own.

Almond Milk (Makes 3 1/2 Cups plus 3/4 Almond Puree)

1 Cup Almonds
2 Tbsp Agave
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
4 Cups Water

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree on high for one minute or until almond are in tiny pieces.
2. Place a strainer in a large bowl and cover the top of the strainer with cheesecloth (this step is important because the almonds will be in such small pieces that the cheesecloth and strainer need to stop them from going into the milk).
3. Pour the almond milk through the cheesecloth. You may need to do this in stages so the milk can slowly strain through the cheesecloth. It may help taking a spoon to scrape the bottom of the cheesecloth so the milk can pass.
4. Pour the milk and the almond puree into separate containers and refrigerate.
5. Serve.